Retail Segmentation and Targeting for Tom Jenkins’ Bar–B-Q
...ave to make the trip to Down Town Fort Lauderdale to pick up Tom Jenkins’s Bar-B-Q…” “I know a friend that lives in Miami Beach and he often drives up to Fort Lauderdale just to get some TJ “(2) • Catering services and selling of sauces at grocery stores; there is an important demand of this products but this will not be considered as a primary focus for this paper. B. Segment Characteristics 1) State of Mind The Primary Market is looking for a convenience location to satisfy it hungry with good, inexpensive and authentic southern Bar-B-Q food. This market also feels comfortable in a rustic and family environment (For the secondary market this is not a convenient location). 2) State of Being Although the restaurant, represent the old days African American culture, the place seems to be always busy with people of all ethnicities or economic status. Bar-B-Q cooking is a southern specialty, which appeals to all people regardless of ethnicity, of income level. It is the great American equalizer. The food owes as much to the quality of the ingredients as it does to technique of cooking if you go to Tom Jenkins’ you will see people from all walks of life eating there. 3) Media Preferences Primary and Secondary markets use the references of family and friends, and also reviews the information posted in newspapers, TV, radio or the web. 4) Product Preferences Primary and secondary markets prefer casual and inexpensive dinning. (2) http://national.citysearch.com/profile/2576368 C. Current Marketing Strategy Some specific product, price, communication, and distribution decisions the management apparently has made to develop its marketing mix toward its targeted markets are: • Product: The restaurant offers a wide variety of products among the Bar-B-Q style. The ribs and chicken are grilled over wood and doused with sauces developed from family recipes of the two owners. On the menu you can also find side dishes, such as collard greens, baked beans, french fries, corn on the cob, apple pie, and macaroni and cheese. • Price: Less for more. Its prices range from $6 to $20. The price is affordable; probably due to the simplicity of the operation including its accepting only cash. Most of the servers are the people same involved in the preparation of the food. It saves money and logistics by doing self seating. • Distribution strategy includes one location. They also offer take out and catering services. Business days are Tuesday to Saturday. Sundays and Mondays the restaurant is closed. • Media Preferences: they do no advertising other than for its catering business and that is all done inside the restaurant. Word of mouth seems to be the clear strategy. The Bar-B-Q smoke can be smelled for a block or two and that can be called another form of advertising. Additionally, Tom Jenkins’ have had articles written about them by the Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, and furthermore, they are the winners of the best of in their category in the New Times. On the other hand, they recently developed a web page. In Summary, this is a single location Bar-B-Q restaurant, own and operated by the families of the two owners. They based its marketing strategy on the quality of an original southern family recipe, at inexpensive prices. The advertising relies mainly on the loyalty and word of mouth of the current clients. They have developed a web page and they also have been reviewed by several local newspapers. III. Proposed Marketing Strategies It is difficult to make recommendations to such a prosperous and established restaurant, since its best attributes are its small size, its genuine feel it is a family operation. It is easy to see how those qualities could be lost in an expansion and every attempt should be made to carefully to reproduce them. I propose the following marketing strategies: • To open Sundays and Mondays will drive the revenue. • Better and quicker service. • Enlargement of the current restaurant with expansion through smaller restaurants of similar size which trains its employees at the original Tom Jenkin's style. • Advertising campaign though mailing of postcard for the current locations and new openings. • Advertising and rating of the new restaurants in local newspapers. • To participate in community events specially for the new locations (church events, city events) • To cosponsor corporate outings in the area of the new restaurants, since a lot of their business comes during lun...